guns

WASHINGTON – The 26 gun control activists who biked from Newtown to Washington, arriving Tuesday, belong to a growing group of Newtown residents who, with the help of national groups, are becoming a lobbying force on Capitol Hill.

The residents and family members of the 26 killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings are a powerful reminder of the tragedy for lawmakers and reporters, who sometimes have short attention spans.

The National Rifle Association and three makers of AR-15 rifles filled the Legislative Office Building with gun owners and firearms workers Monday, a show of force intended to blunt the reach of gun-control legislation now being negotiated by the General Assembly's leadership.

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate adjourned without a deal at 5 p.m. after a third day of negotiations. A spokesman for House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said they had “another productive day and will meet again tomorrow.”

March For Change of Newtown announces that Connecticut Against Gun Violence has invited state residents to support Lobby Day in Hartford, Wednesday, March 13.

"We need to show our legislators that we are not going away; that the Connecticut Effect is not wearing off; that we still demand change," according to literature sent to The Bee. "We encourage you to join us for a NEXT STEPS debrief at 10 am, followed by meetings with your legislators from 11 am to 1 pm. Please set these meetings in advance of the day."

Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit group based in Newtown, has scheduled a news conference in San Francisco for Thursday, March 14, to explain its project to find innovative technological ways to reduce gun violence, according to a statement from the group.

Sandy Hook Promise was formed after the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook School in Newtown which 20 young schoolchildren and six adults were murdered by a gunman who had shot his way into the elementary school.

I am not a flag-waving Second Amendment guy. I am a 72-year-old NRA Life Member and member of the Fairfield County Fish and Game Protective Association, located in Newtown and Monroe. As an aftermath of the Newtown shootings, you folks in Newtown are really fired up (understandably) and looking to impact shooting at our facility.

Before the soft click of so many rotating wheels embarked on a journey to Washington, DC, from Sandy Hook, a large rally took place at Reed Intermediate School Saturday, March 9, to send off the members of Team 26.

Two of Newtown’s three state representatives expressed dismay and frustration following a split recommendation by the legislative working group on gun violence, after a bipartisan package of reforms suddenly morphed into two sets of recommendations on Tuesday, March 5.

After more than two and a half months, our community is still reeling from the tragic loss of 26 innocent lives. December 14th has forever changed our town, our state and our country. If something like this can happen in Sandy Hook, then it can happen anywhere in this nation.

I love both apples and oranges and consume many of each. When asked which I like better, I will admit: While I’m eating a crunchy apple in the fall, I say, “apples”; however, if I’m slurping a juicy orange, then I prefer “oranges.”

Following 12/14, “none of us slept,” admitted resident Monte Frank. During those quiet nighttime hours, he said, “It came to me.” He had the idea to organize a cyclist’s ride from Newtown to Washington, D.C., to promote “the immediate need” for gun safety legislation.